Mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



A; M. PORTER. MAIL BAG "CATGHLB AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.28,;1910.

- Patented June20, 1911.

.3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 H i---i- A. M. PORTER. MAIL BAG GATGHER AND DBLIVER ER.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 28, 1910. 995,563.

3 SHEETS-SHEE'12.

Patented June 20, 1911.

A. M. PORTER. MAIL BAG GATGHER AND DELIVEREE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28, 1910. 995,568.

Patented June 20, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

i um'rnn STATES PATENTFIGEE.

Annmu' M.*PORTER, or AMSTERDAM, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF '10 MES w.

. PORTER, or LA CYGNE, KANSAS.

MAIL-BAG CATGHER AND DELIVER/ER.-

1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that-I, AL ERT M. PORTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Amsterdam,.in the county of Bates and the State ofMissouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mail-Bag Catchers and Deliverers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention'relates to a device adapted to deliverand receive mail bags at the tween them.

same time, and consists of a stationary and a movable part,

A further object of the invention is adsvice of thisv kind'which comprises very-few parts, and those of cheap and simple construction with no complicated parts to keep in order or repair. .And afurther object is a device of this kind in which the parts fixed adjacent the track are duplicates of decreasing the cost of manufacture.

The inventlon consists of the novel features of construction hereinafter described,

those. carried by the cars, thereby" further 25 pointed out in the claims, and shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the parts carried by a car,

the parts being shown in normal position, and parts of the car being in Fig. 2 is a front elevation of parts section. shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating the relative position of the stationary and movable parts during the interchange of sacks. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail side View of one of the rings, an arm being shown in section. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional perspective illustrating the manner of mounting the parts on the supporting posts.

As the parts carried by the car are sub-' stantially the same as those arranged adjacent the track adescription of the car device-will serve for both.

In the drawings 1 is a suitable post carried' by the car at one side of and well within the doorway. On the inside of the car and on the opposite side of the doorway is an inwardly extending arm 2, and a bar 3 extends across the doorway, said bar having an offset end portion 4 which carries ajjcollar 5 which collar is supported on a collar 5*. The bar 3 is also supported, at-its free end by the arm 2. This bar forms a support for the operative mechanism ofthe device. This mechanism comprises two an- Spec ifieation of Letters Patent.

bags being interchanged'be- Patented June so, 1911.

Application filed October 28, 1910. Serial No.'589,578..

gled bars 6, the inner angled portions of which are hinged together. One of these bars 6 has a collar 7 which turns on the post 1 and which rests on the collar 5 previously mentioned. The other. angled bar 6 -is slightly enlarged and is hinged to a sleeve 8 which slides on the cross bar 3. When in normal position portionsofthe bars 6 rest against the bar 3,-and by moving the sleeve 8 toward the post 1 the bars '6 are thrown into the position shown in Fig. 3 the angled end portions resting together.

Blocks 9 have. beveled ends which are hinged to the angled portions ofthe bars 6' and these blocks carry an arm '10 the: central portion of which is reducedin thickness as shown at 11 and its upper and lower faces are transversely notched adjacent the ends as shown at 12, and oblique slots 18 are cut in the ends of the arms'and extend across the notches' l2. Small spring guards 14 are secured on the upper face of the arm and project over the reduced portion 11.

The remainder of the device is composed of a split ring 15 having outwardly extending clamping end portions 16 through which passes a bolt 17.- Springs 18 surround the bolt and bear onthe clamps, tending to force them together. The bolt has an eye at one end in which is hung a ring 19, to which ring the mail sack is attached. I

The device arranged adjacent the track is the same, the parts being carried by two stationary posts, not shown.

In operation the ring 15 is attached to the 'arm 10 by slipping-the bolt into one of the slots 13, bringing the clamping members into the notches 12. Assuming that the train is moving in the direction of the are row in Fig. 3 the ring carrying thesack to be delivered would be hung from the rear end of the arm. In the same manner a duplicate ring would be secured to the opposite end of the arm arranged adjacent the, track and which carried the sack to be received by the car. As the arms pass in the same horizontal plane and at a distance of about ten inches each arm passes centrally into the ring 15 carried bythe other arm. As the rings strike bars 6 the, bolts are drawn from the slots, and the rings 15 drop upon the'arms resting on the reduced central portions, the guards 14 preventing there: bound from throwing themolf. By moving the sleeve 8 back to normal position the device is again folded bringing the sack Within the car;

What I claim is v 1. The combination With a cross bar, of a foldable sack delivering and receiving de vice, hinged at a point adjacent an end 'of said'bar, a sleeve movable on the bar, and means for pivotally connecting the foldable device to said sleeve. 7

2. In a device of the kind described, a vertical post, a bar at right angles, to the post-,ja' sack supporting device comprising hinged, angled bars, one of v said barsjbeing svi ingingly connected, to'thej post; and a sleeve on the firs't mentioned bar, the other angled bar being pivotally connected to thesleeve) an ba kah g t ea having end slots,- a split'ring the ends of which are bent to form clamping members, nd: a bol passin through; said: me e ad; iepta ap .ei itei ens s i ts; I a

thicknessilhgiiardsficarfried .bygnie top eilfniej adapted to enter either, of the ti unpm'ta,

l i i 1 cibd;; i =i c. .l a v ba h llg-a l ar turning on .0 ,theblbcks) being 7 hinged 'to the, arm, the arm I H p I andfor the pnrpose set forth. arm fora device; of thge kind i dei" L ving halcentraltportion redncd in? salam x ndine v r Fl FQ "we";

v I. v W y that;

tion, oppositely extending dbliqiie sldts her ing formed in'the end portions of said arm,

and transverse notches beingformediin thee- .1: arm on its upper and lower faces, 'said' notches intersecting said slots, as and for the 'purpose set forth 5; In a device of the kind described, an,

arm having oblique slots in its ends, and transversely notched adjacent its end, a split ring having its ends bent to form clamping members to engage said notches, and a bolt passing. through the clamping members and "40 e s ots, a

and for the purpose set forth.

6. Ina device of the kindfdescribed;tvvo c a cross bar connecting,"

two "angled" bars hinged together, "0 f supports a naresnn'g onthe otfsetfportion bf;

them, said .b'arhaving anbifset end ortion, 4f

th'ejcross bar ajnd asleeve' on the crossbar and movable along the same said sleeve be 5 ing hinged to the remaining angledbar,

ALBERT PORTER 

